Attention
by Aki-Child
Summary: His attention is everything Ino wanted, and she is willing to do anything for it. ShikaIno.
1. Attention, Part 1

_**Author's Note: **__Hello and happy summer, everyone! It's been awhile since I've written anything, so this might be a bit rusty. I've read through this a couple of times but sometimes, it's still not enough. So, please skip over anything you find grammatically challenged! And I apologize in advance if the characters seem a bit OCC. This story will mainly focus on Ino's feeling for Shikamaru. Please enjoy and reviews will be appreciated!_

_**Disclaimer:**__ I do not own Naruto, or the characters._

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><p><strong>Attention<strong>

**© Aki-Child**

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><p>Everyone was staring at her, and she wasn't surprised. It wasn't because she was arrogant; she would stare at herself too if she were the people walking by. And this was exactly what she wanted – everyone's attention. Yes,<em> everyone's<em>. Among the crowd she walked by, quiet whispers were shared between the people. She tucked her bangs behind her right ear – it was a habit of hers whenever she felt uneasy – but to realize her bangs had fallen back to its original place because of its new-attained weight.

"Ino," she heard her best friend's voice, and on cue, she turned to the pink haired kunoichi.

It seemed like her friend here was also like the others, staring at her in disbelief. Her emerald colored eyes were wide opened, and her jaws were dropped. Although it came out in a whisper, Ino didn't miss the _'oh my god'_ that escaped Sakura's lips. "It really is you. W-what happened?"

"Well–" Just when Ino was about to state the obvious, her reflection on the sliding glass door, which Sakura stood next to, caught her attention. Subconsciously, Ino brushed her fingers through her blonde locks. Normally, it would take her forever to reach the tip of her long, high ponytail. But this time, the contact was quick and short – and not to mention she didn't have a ponytail to begin with this time.

"I cut my hair," she smiled weakly, "that's what happened."

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><p>"Are you sure about this?" the hairdresser had asked Ino for the tenth time since she stepped into the salon.<p>

Without averting her gaze elsewhere, Ino nodded, staring at her own reflection, "yes, I am sure."

As much as she wanted to sound confident like her usual self, her voice betrayed her. Instead of coming out strong and certain, it was unsteady – well, a little bit – as if she didn't mean what she said. But it was understandable, right? She was about to cut the beautiful hair she had grown, nourished, and taken care of for so many years. Ino couldn't recall a time when she had cut her hair for more than an inch. '_Except for that time at the chunin exam_,' she thought bitterly.

"Alright, if you're not changing your mind, let us begin."

She took a deep breath and looked at the hairdresser, "please."

She felt the hairdresser running his fingers through her hair, and she knew she would miss this sensation. Maybe she would miss everything about being a proud owner of her long blonde locks – she could style her hair in any way she liked: worn wavy, straight, up or down, anything! But she wasn't about to back down now. Not when she had finally talked herself into cutting it.

For the next fifty minutes or so, Ino could hear nothing but the ripping sound the scissors made when gliding through her locks. Never for a second had her eyes diverted from her own reflection in the mirror, and never for a second had she felt regretted from making this decision.

Time had passed by faster than she had expected. Swiftly, the hairdresser blew her hair dried and discarded the cape. Holding an oval mirror behind her, Ino could see the back of her head clearly. Her ponytail was no longer in sight, which gave Ino a brand new feeling. Her neck felt… chilly even from the slightest movement. It had been a while since she'd had short hair – maybe since when she was a kid? She couldn't remember.

Ino leaned in closer to the mirror and examined herself. She would no longer be regarded as the blonde hair kunoichi with a high ponytail, but the stylish, trendy kunoichi with a bob hairstyle. Of course, it wasn't like Lee's bob hairstyle; hers looked more feminine and classy. Her hair was styled asymmetrically with the right side being half an inch longer than the left, with her bangs still parted to the right. It wasn't like Sakura's hair style either. Hers was a little bit shorter, just barely framing her chin.

"It's beautiful…" she commented.

"Yes, and so are you," he assured.

Feeling half nervous and half excited, Ino was ready to show her new look to the world.

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><p>"Naruto!" Sakura's voice snapped Ino back to the present.<p>

Almost immediately, Ino jumped at the sight of Naruto. She must've been too consumed in her memories of this morning to notice Naruto standing inches away from her, and staring at her in awe. She saw his expression and recognized it. Everyone had been giving her the very expression ever since she stepped out of the salon. How could she not recognize that this face meant surprise?

"You cut your hair…" the blonde hair boy stated the obvious.

In return, Ino smiled, "yes, I did."

He leaned in closer, still inspecting her as if… as if she were an insect. She understood the intention behind his action. She would be shocked too, if Tenten or Neji decided to cut their hair short. She would be staring at them too, with the same look Naruto was giving her now. But… he was too close! If he were to get any closer, Ino would definitely–

"Stop staring at her face like that!" Out of annoyance, Sakura flew Naruto a punch on the face, which sent him flying ten metres, radius, away from where they were standing.

–_Yeah_, send him flying… _like that_.

"I'm sorry, Ino." Her best friend apologized on behalf of her teammate.

"Thanks, Sakura."

The two friends walked down the street together. Half of the time, they were discussing their upcoming missions and talking about the latest gossips. As for the other half, they let silence fell between them because Sakura wasn't sure whether it was appropriate to ask Ino about her decision, and Ino wasn't sure how to start.

"Oi, Ino!"

The girls turned to the owner of the voice and greeted simultaneously, "Kiba!"

His face displayed the same stunned expression as well, "Naruto told me about your new look…" he eyed her from head to toe, "… you look gorgeous!"

"It suits you, Ino-chan," Hinata complimented bashfully.

"Thank you," Ino knew they weren't lying.

Throughout their walk to their destination, they'd encountered a lot of people: Neji, Tenten, Choji, Iruka-sensei, and the list went on. Most of them had taken the effort to drag their feet in front of Ino to talk, question, and comment on her new hairstyle, whether they were ninjas she had worked together with, or regular restaurant owners. Of course, most people praised her for her good looks and courage. Even Sai looked too stunned for words, okay? That proved how beautiful everyone thought she was.

But for some reason, her heart was still beating rapidly from nervousness and anticipation... But of what?

"You don't look too happy," Sakura said, "you don't like it?"

Ino shook her head, "I love it."

"I like it too," the pink haired kunoichi reassured, "it looks good on you!"

"Do you really think so?"

"Yeah!" She finally asked, "But why? All of a sudden…"

"Well…" Ino didn't want to spill the truth, but she didn't want to lie to her best friend either, "I-I am an attention seeker, after all."

"Ah ha!" Sakura exclaimed knowingly, as if the confusion had been cleared up, "you have always been the centre of attention, Ino. You've got to be kidding me!"

"I am tired of my same old appearance."

Walking shoulder to shoulder, they headed into the Hokage building, greeting everyone who walked past them, and of course, for Ino, getting praised by those people at the same time. Sakura chuckled and shook her head lightly, thinking that Ino must be feeling contented to have gotten everyone's attention. But, Sakura didn't understand.

She didn't understand at all.

"Oi, Sakura," a familiar voice rang into Ino's ears.

She looked up immediately, and saw… _him_.

"Hey, Shikamaru," her friend walked up to the tall shinobi indifferently, "Tsunade-sama gave you a new assignment already?"

Looking troubled, Shikamaru just nodded. "Yeah, troublesome," Without saying another word, he walked past the medical ninja and in the direction of the blonde hair kunoichi, who remained frozen at her current spot. Her heart was beating a mile per second.

"Hey, Ino," he greeted without looking and walked past her casually, like he normally would.

But this time, he didn't just walk away.

He turned back to her.

Shikamaru, looking as surprised as ever, stuttered, "Y-you cut your hair..."

"Y-yeah…" Ino didn't dare to meet his eyes.

What if he didn't perceive her new image as beautiful, like the others did? What if he secretly hated girls with short hair? What if… everything she did was for nothing?

"...It looks great on you," he finally commented.

Biting back the urge to burst into tears of joy, she looked at him and into the pair of brown orbs she'd known since childhood, into the pair of brown orbs her heart would respond rapidly to, and into the pair of brown orbs she'd fallen in love with. Her anxiety seemed to have disappeared upon hearing his words.

His words worked like magic.

Since this morning, Ino did everything she could just to make herself beautiful. She made a fuss over choosing which hair style would look best on her; she walked all around town hoping to run into him; she went through all the trouble of cutting her beautiful hair just to grab _his_ attention. Yes, it was his and only his attention and feedback she sought for.

For the first time after getting her hair cut, Ino grinned genuinely, "Thank you, Shikamaru."

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><p><em>AN: Thanks for reading, everyone! Any feedback will be appreciated. _


	2. Attention, Part 2

_**Author's Note:**__ Surprise! I, too, did not expect to see a second part. But I saw that __**The Clawed Butterfly**__ was hoping for a sequel. Therefore, here I am. A big thank you to those who reviewed, added to favorite, and read the first part of the story. I know that the first part was published almost two years ago, so I wouldn't be surprised if people have already forgotten about the story, but to those who still remember, I hope you'll enjoy it. Reviews will be appreciated._

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><p><strong>Attention<strong>**, Part 2**

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><p>Shikamaru didn't remember when he'd become a coward. <em>Okay, never mind<em>. He used to be a shinobi who would do anything he could to run away from a battlefield. So maybe he was a coward since the very beginning. Let's rephrase it. Shikamaru didn't remember when he'd started to avoid eye contact with her. Yeah, her – his teammate who was currently standing inches away from him with her newly acquired hairstyle. _Yeah, I am talking about Yamanaka Ino._

In most circumstances, Shikamaru would have greeted and walked away from Ino as quickly as possible. But today, she was difficult _not _to look at. She was beautiful. He didn't know what reason drove her to cut her hair, which she had cherished since childhood. But Shikamaru was glad that she'd had the courage to change her hairstyle. Maybe it was because a part of him would always be reminded of the reason Ino decided to grow her hair out. Now that her long hair was out of the way, Shikamaru was confident that he could cross _Sasuke_ off the list.

Before he could stop himself, he commented, "…it looks great on you."

"Thank you, Shikamaru." She grinned brightly at the compliment.

Without saying another word, he nodded casually, though his heart was beating miles away. He managed to smile lightly in return and walk away from the duo before his heart could beat any faster. There was no one in the history who'd died from a heart that was beating too fast, and Shikamaru wasn't about to be the one to break the record. He wanted to live an average life and leave no sign of his presence after his death.

When a safe distance stood between them, Shikamaru dared to look over his shoulder and take another glance at his teammate. Even with her back facing him, she looked beautiful. Ino looked beautiful as an owner of her long, blonde hair, but right now, to Shikamaru, she was looking as beautiful as ever. Even though he had intentionally avoided looking at Ino directly for a while now – a _long_ while, actually, he still couldn't forget how mesmerising her eyes were. No matter how hard he tried to forget, he would remember every time he looked at the clear blue sky. He was crazy about her.

But he wasn't about to tell her.

Ino probably didn't care.

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><p>It was a little after ten when Shikamaru left the Hokage building. He was tied down by his work again. But he wouldn't really blame anyone but himself. It was his own fault that he kept thinking about her. He was usually very focused in his work but today, he couldn't help but wonder why Ino had decided to cut her hair. He wanted to know, but there wasn't anyone he could ask. Even if there were someone who might have known the reason, he wouldn't dare. He couldn't let anyone know that his mind was on something – <em>someone<em> – else for the whole day.

On his way home, the cold breeze tickled the back of his exposed neck.

"Do you really think so?" A voice exclaimed nearby.

"You are too loud!" Another voice hushed.

Shikamaru sighed. He didn't need to look to know the owners of the two voices. But he did turn around and look, and for a second, he thought his eyes were deceiving him. Naruto and Kiba, _obviously_, were hiding behind the bush _alongside_ five other guys. Who were the five other guys? Well, Choji, Sai and Lee, these three would usually tag along with Naruto and Kiba just for fun. What about the other two? Well, Neji and Shino. Shikamaru didn't know what was going on with the guys, but there was one thing that he was certain of: they suck at hiding.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Shikamaru! It's about time you decide to join us!"

"What? I am not –" Too late. Before Shikamaru could protest, Kiba had already pulled him into the bush that they were hiding behind. It seemed like they were having a discussion of some sort since the guys were sitting in a big circle. It must have been something big to have attracted Neji and Shino to the group. _Now, that's a rare sight_. "What the heck is going on here? Why are you guys hiding behind a bush?"

"Come on, Shikamaru! Everyone's here for the same reason."Kiba grinned sheepishly at Shikamaru's ignorance. "You must know since you are one of her best friends. Do you know what happened to Ino's hair, Shikamaru?"

"Uh, she cut it." Shikamaru answered matter-of-factly.

Everyone rolled their eyes and _duh_-ed out loud.

"Shikamaru-kun, everyone knows Ino-san cut her hair. She was showing it off around town this afternoon. Our question is: do you know why she cut her hair? You must know! You are her best friend!" Lee exclaimed dramatically.

Shikamaru turned away from Lee's big round eyes. First of all, he felt embarrassed to be called Ino's best friend since they hadn't really spoken in weeks. Best friends didn't avoid one another just because… one of them fell in love with the other one. Second of all, he felt ashamed because he, also, didn't know why. He was dying to find out the reason as well, just like the others. So, as her _best friend_, was it okay for him to confess that he didn't know?

Just when Shikamaru was about to admit his ignorance, Choji interrupted. He didn't know whether he should feel thankful or not for the interruption, but he almost had a heart attack when his childhood friend stated the following, "Shikamaru, do you think Ino might have been dumped?"

"What?" Shikamaru didn't remember Ino being taken.

"Well, according to this book," Sai started suddenly, with his eyes fixed on the book '_Ten Thousand Things You Need to Know about Women_'. "Women only make a drastic change to their hairstyle when they have had their heart broken. It says it is because they want to cut off any connection with their previous lover. Women cut their hair to signify a new beginning and a _fresh_ new start. Maybe this is why Ino-san cut her hair."

"Or maybe," Shikamaru's eyebrow twitched when Naruto decided to share his _baseless_ opinion, "Maybe Ino has someone she likes who have the same hairstyle. You know how two people in love tend to look alike in appearance. Ino cut her hair because she wants to look like the person she likes. It must be it!" Naruto's eyes trailed to the person sitting next to him. "In this case, Ino's crush must be…"

Suddenly, Lee became the center of attention.

"What?" Lee blushed furiously, "Ino-san likes me? But I only have–"

"–his eye on Sakura," Neji finished his sentence for him.

"No way! Let's be realistic, guys!" Kiba laughed.

"But it is also possible that Ino-san's taste in men changes over the years." Sai added.

"You can't be serious!" Naruto laughed.

"Maybe Ino–"

"This is absurd!" Before he could stop himself, Shikamaru had caused a scene. Everyone was startled by the genius' sudden uproar. "There's no way Ino will like Lee and there is no way Ino has been dumped! You guys should know better than that! Since when did guys start to invade people's privacy?"

Shikamaru's expression was dark and fierce. It was similar to the face of a person whose lover was killed in a warzone, and who was about to take revenge on the killer. Actually, it wasn't similar. Shikamaru's expression was worse than that. "Ask Ino herself if you are curious. If you are only here to gossip and make assumption, then I am out of here!" Shikamaru stood up from his spot and left the crew.

"What's with him?" They muttered.

Shikamaru didn't know why he was so angry that the boys' assumption. Maybe it was because a part of him was afraid it might be true. He ran to the closest and available barber shop and startled the heck out of the employees as he pushed the door open a little bit too roughly.

"Mister," Shikamaru said to the barber.

"…Yes?" The man stuttered.

"I want a haircut."

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><p>Shikamaru finally understood what Ino went through when she cut her hair. The anticipation and nervousness that arose from hearing the ripping sound of the scissors. All the <em>what-if<em>s as she watched strands of hair falling onto the floor. The doubt she had in herself as she looked into the mirror at her newly acquired hairstyle. Shikamaru finally understood it all.

He peeled his eyes open at the faintest gleam of sunlight that shone through his window. Without wasting another second, he changed into his usual attire: a turtleneck sweater, the flak jacket, and of course, the forehead protector around his arm. Unlike any other day, he double-checked to make sure the forehead protector was securely and tightly pinned to his left sleeve. He couldn't afford to lose it, especially not today.

He proceeded to his desk and opened his drawer to take out his hair tie. Within a split second, he realized that it might not be very useful today. Therefore, he discarded it into the trash can sitting next to the desk. He stormed down the stairs quickly. There was something very urgent that he must do first thing in the morning.

"Good morning, Shikama–" Shikaku looked up from his newspaper and…

"I will be heading out now," the younger Nara of the household closed the door behind him.

Yoshino peeked out the kitchen door and stared at Shikaku's unreadable expression, "What's wrong, dear? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

"It's more like I don't know _whom_ I saw…" Shikaku answered.

Shikamaru hated to be the centre of attention. He didn't remember how many pairs of eyes were cast upon him today. He didn't bother counting. Initially, he didn't know why he was attracting so much attention today. But whenever he ran into a mirror, he would be reminded of the reason. He chuckled to himself. _Of course._ It was inevitable that people would look at him. He looked so… foreign, as if he was a shinobi of another village. If it wasn't for the forehead protector that was on his arm, he might have been taken to the immigration office already.

Shikamaru stopped in front of the door of Laboratory A, where Ino was assigned to work at today. He took a deep breath and pushed open the door. A breeze hit his face as soon as he opened the door, and for a second, he thought his heart had stop beating. He was so nervous. But it seemed like he used a little bit too much force when he opened the door. A loud bang startled everyone in the laboratory.

"I am sorry, but I am looking for Ino," Shikamaru said apologetically.

"Ino is… not here right now."

He heaved a sigh of disappointment, "Oh, thank you."

Shikamaru thought of where he should go next since it was too early for him to be at work. He left his house early in hopes of seeing Ino first thing in the morning, but destiny must be toying with him. He bowed to the laboratory associates politely and turned to leave. But as soon as he did, he found himself running into a blonde hair female and knocked over the huge stack of paper that she was carrying. Quickly, both of them got on their knees and started piling up the papers before them. It was after a second or two that Shikamaru realized that it was Ino in front of him. He still hadn't gotten used to her new hairstyle.

Ino looked at him briefly and bowed, "Thank you very much."

When she was about to enter the laboratory, Shikamaru felt an urge to grab her arm and… _then what?_ The girl he wanted to see since he opened his eyes this morning was right there in front of him but yet, he didn't have the courage to even reach out for her. Before he could stop himself, he…

"Ino," He called out for her.

He noticed that Ino's shoulders tensed up immediately at his voice. She turned around and looked at him. Her expression was mixed with a hint of surprise, confusion and uncertainty. _Why?_ Did she not recognize him? Did she not feel impressed with his short hair? Did she not feel happy to see him?

"Shika–" Ino closed the distance between them and looked at him closely, "Shikamaru?"

"Hey," Shikamaru's eyes averted from hers. She was looking at him _very_ closely.

Silence fell upon them for a minute before Ino's giggle broke the silence, "geez, you surprised me,"

Shikamaru also chuckled, "so did you."

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><p><em>AN: Thank you for reading, everyone!_


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